Reconstruction of Simplified Microbial Consortia to Modulate Sensory Quality of Kombucha Tea

Abstract

Kombucha is a fermented tea with a long history of production and consumption. It has been gaining popularity thanks to its refreshing taste and assumed beneficial properties. The microbial community responsible for tea fermentation—acetic acid bacteria (AAB), yeasts, and lactic acid bacteria (LAB)—is mainly found embedded in an extracellular cellulosic matrix located at the liquid–air interphase. To optimize the production process and investigate the contribution of individual strains, a collection of 26 unique strains was established from an artisanal-scale kombucha production; it included 13 AAB, 12 yeasts, and one LAB. Among these, distinctive strains, namely Novacetimonas hansenii T7SS-4G1, Brettanomyces bruxellensis T7SB-5W6, and Zygosaccharomyces parabailii T7SS-4W1, were used in mo